The Rabbits On Fang Rock
by Tim66
Summary: Deadly killer rabbits terrorize lighthouse keepers.


_AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story began as a parody of the Doctor Who story, The Horror Of Fang Rock, but ended up taking on a life of its own. I hope you enjoy it._

 **THE WESTERN FRONT.**

 **JULY: 1916**

Nineteen-year-old Vincent Hawkins crouched down in the trench, holding his rifle close to his chest. The artillery barrage, that had wiped out his whole platoon, had seemingly come from out of nowhere. Now all was silent, except for the distant rumble of artillery and gunfire, the battle seemingly to have moved away from this particular sector. As Vince cautiously made his way along the trench, the small village of his birth, which lay on the Channel coast of England, had never seemed so far away. _Keep it together, man._ he thought to himself. Vince knew he had one chance, if he could make it out of the trenches and into the nearby woods, he could circle back to the British lines, without being seen by the Germans. Suddenly, Vince paused as he heard the stealthy sound of footsteps coming from over the top of the trench, from the direction of the German lines. Vince stood rock still, and waited. Sure enough, the sounds came again, now closer. Holding his breath, Vince waited until the footsteps were almost over top of him, before he whirled around, firing his rifle as he did so. Vince saw a young German soldier, around the same age he was, topple forward into the trench. The young German was dead before he hit the ground. _God, how old was this kid?_ Vince thought to himself. _Seventeen? Eighteen? And I just killed him._ The thought that the young German would have probably shot first and asked questions afterwards gave Vince no comfort at all. There had been a time when killing another human being would have been unthinkable to Vince, but now it seemed so easy, too easy. Trying to put the young German out of his mind, Vince slowly made his way towards the woods and safety.

 **OOOOOOOO**

Private Joseph Scott sat on the ground, leaning back against a tree, and looked at his broken leg. An hour ago, his FE 2 had been shot down by enemy ground fire during a routine patrol. Joe had survived the crash, but had broken his left leg in the process (still, he'd been luckier than the pilot, Mike Baxter, who had been fatally wounded and died right after crashing the plane). _Bloody fine mess you've gotten yourself into, Joe old boy,_ he thought to himself. When the war had broken out, Joe had left his native London, ready to do his part, by becoming an air mechanic in the RFC. Now it seemed that, unless he could get out of here somehow, his part might be coming to a premature end, even at the young age of twenty-three. Suddenly, Joe's ears pricked up as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching his position. Very slowly, Joe upholstered his pistol and waited.

 **OOOOOOOO**

Having made it onto the woods, Vince was now making his way west. He knew that if he kept pushing in this general direction, he would make his way back to the British lines. He was so lost in thought that he nearly stumbled over the man wearing the uniform of the Royal Flying Corps before he saw him. "Hello, who are you then?" Vince asked, relieved that at least his fellow was British, not German.

"Joseph Scott, Royal Flying Corps." the man replied. "And you are?"

"Vincent Hawkins," Vince said and went on to identify his regiment. "Seems you have a bit of problem."

"Yeah, we got shot down." Joe replied, as he put his pistol away. "I was along as an observer, when we got hit. Mike Baxter, the pilot I was flying with, didn't make it. As you can see, I survived, but I broke my bloody leg."

"Well, Joe, I'm trying to get back to the British lines. How about I give you a hand."

"Sounds good to me." Joe said.

Vince walked over and helped Joe up. "Right, we're off then." The two men slowly began making their way west through the woods.

And that is how Vincent Hawkins and Joseph Scott first met.

 **OOOOOOOO**

 **THE ISLAND OF FANG ROCK, OFF THE CHANNEL COAST OF ENGLAND.**

 **OCTOBER: 1921**

It was a dark night on Fang Rock, and the lighthouse had just begun its nightly duties. In the lamp room, Vince Hawkins was on watch. Following his return to civilian life after the war, Vince had resumed his training to become a lighthouse keeper. To his delight, his friend, Joe Scott, had decided to join him in that career. The two men had enjoyed their close friendship since their meeting on the blood soaked battlefield of Europe, five years before, and were content to continue said friendship here on Fang Rock. As Vince watched, he saw a thick fog bank rolling in. "Better start the foghorn going." Vince muttered and soon the foghorn was booming through the night

 **OOOOOOOO**

At this time, Joe was eating dinner in the crew room. He had just finished, when the speaking tube on the wall blew. Quickly Joe went over, unhooked the receiver, and spoke into it. "Yeah?"

"Joe? Is that you?" Vince's voice came through.

"No it's King George." Joe said with sarcasm in his voice. "Of course it's me. What's the problem?"

"I think you should come up here. There's a real thick fog bank rolling in."

"Be right there." Joe said and then headed out of the crew room.

 **OOOOOOOO**

Soon Joe had joined Vince. "You were right about that fog bank, Vince." Joe said as they both stood out on the balcony. "It's as thick as pea soup."

"Cold as well." added Vince.

"Well it is October." Joe pointed out. Suddenly he cocked his head.

"What is it?" asked Vince.

"You hear that?" Joe replied.

"Hear what I..." Vince began and then broke off as he heard what Joe was hearing. "Sounds like a boat."

"I know." said Joe. "What kind of idiot would be sailing on a night like this." He turned and scanned the foggy sea. "Seems to be coming from somewhere south of here."

"I see it!" Vince shouted as he pointed in the same direction Joe was staring. In the fog they could now make out the lights of a small yacht. "Is it my imagination, Joe, or are they going full ahead and heading right for us."

"You're right, Vince, they are. They should be going dead slow in conditions like this." replied Joe. He ran into the lamp room and sent blast after blast from the foghorn into the night. However, the yacht did not slow down or attempt to alter its course.

"I better get some flares to send up." Vince said. "Since it seems they're deaf as well as blind."

"It's too late. They're going to crash." Joe replied. Both men watched helplessly as the yacht crashed into the southern end of Fang Rock.

"There may be survivors." Vince said, springing into action. "We better see if we can lend a hand."

 **OOOOOOOO**

The wrecked yacht sat half in and out of the water as Vince and Joe approached. "Hello?" Joe called. "Anybody there?" There was no answer.

"Let's go aboard." Vince suggested. The two men made their way onto the yacht. "Give me the lantern." Joe handed Vince the lantern and Vince quickly lit it "Joe, look at this." "What is it?" Joe asked as he stepped onto the yacht behind Vince. "What's the mat..." Joe broke off as he saw the remains of what seemed to be two men. There was nothing but blood and bones.

"What could have done this?" asked Vince.

"I don't know." Joe replied. He did a quick check of the bridge. "The helmsman is dead as well." Joe indicated the two bodies they had already found. "He's just like them."

"Well, it sure wasn't the crash that did this?" Vince said. "During the war, I saw bodies after the rats had gotten a go at them. These bodies look like those, only much worse. What the hell happened here?" The two men made their way below decks and found a small cargo hold. In the centre of the hold was a big crate, with air holes on the top of it. "What was in this?"

Vince said as he examined the crate. On the back of the crate was a small hole, a hole that looked like something had chewed through the crate and made its escape. "Judging from those air holes, I'd say they were transporting something alive in that crate. What was it?"

"I don't know." said Joe, responding to Vince's question. "However, I think we may find out soon enough." He held up a small metal strong box. "I found this on the bridge. Maybe there's something in here that will tell us what this is all about."

"Let's go then." said Vince.

 **OOOOOOOO**

Some time later, Vince and Joe, who were back in the crew room, managed to pry the strong box open. "Look at this." Vince said as he examined the documents within. "Apparently the yacht was called the _Princess Alice_ and operating out of Sydney, Australia. They're a long way from home."

"Hang on, what's this?" Joe said as he examined another document. "Looks pretty official. It refers to something called 'Project Bunny Hop.'"

"You're joking!" Vince said, smiling.

"No, I'm serious. Take a look for yourself, Vince." The two men continued to pour over the documents. Soon the truth was revealed to them.

"Killer rabbits." Joe said. "Apparently they were trying to create killer rabbits."

"Did you see the name of the man who authorized the rabbit project?" Vince asked, remembering some of the information he had seen on one of the documents.

"No, I didn't."

"Well I did. The name was William Smith."

"William Smith? THE William Smith?"

"The very same." replied Vince.

"He's one of most powerful men in the British Cabinet. Why would he be involved in something like this?"

"Don't you remember the dispute he had with the Prime Minister at the end of the war? It was in all the papers."

"Oh yeah." replied Joe. "I remember now. Smith was involved in weapons research during the war. However, when the war ended, the Prime Minister ordered all such research terminated."

"Smith didn't seem to like that very much." Vince said grimly. "And it seems that he continues his research on his own. What's our next move, Joe?"

"We tell the authorities." Joe said as he headed for the Morse Telegraph Machine.

 **OOOOOOOO**

William Smith was not a happy man. He sat in his London office with a grim look on his face. At first he was worried when the yacht with the killer rabbits had failed to arrive in Southampton on time. Now he was worried because it seemed that somebody had found the documents and was reading them. Smith looked up as an aid came into the office. "What is it?" asked Smith.

"I thought you should know that we've managed to trace back the message that came in about the documents you mentioned. It seems that it came from Fang Rock."

"Fang Rock?"

"A small island three miles off the Channel coast. There is a lighthouse there and that is where the documents apparently are." the aid confirmed.

"Good." replied Smith. "I want you to contact three of the best scientists we have on this project and have them waiting for me in our lab in Southampton. I'm going out to this Fang Rock lighthouse." As he got ready to leave, Smith reflected on how it had all began, back in the summer of 1917. The war with the Central Powers was still raging, and the British Government had been looking for a way to try and bring the terrible conflict, that had taken so many young lives, to an end. For that reason, Smith had proposed Project Bunny Hop. The idea was that, since rabbits bred so fast, if they could be turned into weapons, they could be let loose on the front against the Germans and their allies. The idea was approved and a lab was set up in the Australian Outback for the double reason of finding plenty of rabbits and being far away from the prying eyes of Germany. For more than a year, rabbits were captured and subjected to tests that made them aggressive and hungry for human flesh. Just as the first batch of rabbits were showing promise, the war had ended. The Prime Minister then ordered Project Bunny Hop to be shut down at once, and all the mutated rabbits destroyed. Smith had protested, claiming that Britain still had enemies, but the Prime Minister had been adamant. So Smith had agreed, at least that is what he had told the Prime Minister. However, he had continued Project Bunny Hop in secret, using his own personal fortune to fund it. Now it seems that years of work would be lost, unless he acted fast. Hopefully, he would be able to recover the documents, and hopefully, the rabbits, before it was too late.

 **OOOOOOOO**

Several hours later, a small secret lab in Southampton was occupied by three men. Their names were Jack Tyler, Andrew Wilson, and Harry Waterhouse. The three scientists had been working at Oxford when they had been recruited by Smith into Project Bunny Hop, back in 1917. They had continued to work on said project in secret since the war ended, thanks to some hefty bribes from Smith. The three of them looked up as Smith entered the lab. "Good morning." Smith said.

"What's so good about it." grumbled Jack.

"Yeah it's six o'clock in the morning." Harry piped up. "Couldn't this have waited?"

"I'm afraid not." replied Smith. "As you gentlemen may know, the yacht carrying the load of killer rabbits from Australia has disappeared. It seems that it may have gone down in the Channel."

"Oh no." Andy said slowly. "Does that mean all the work we've done has been lost?"

"Perhaps the rabbits have been lost." Smith continued. "Yet it seems that the documents that the yacht was carrying have found their way into the hand of the Fang Rock lighthouse keepers."

"How the hell did that happen?" the puzzled Harry asked.

"I don't know." replied Smith. "Perhaps the strong box that had the documents in it washed ashore there. The point is that we have to get those documents back now. Otherwise we're all in a lot of trouble."

"Don't want the Prime Minister to find about your little misdeeds now?" Jack said.

"Our misdeeds." snarled Smith. "Just you lot remember that. You're all just as involved as I am in this."

"Of course we know that." Andy said with a sullen look on his face.

"Good." Smith said as he asserted control over the situation. "Let's get going."

 **OOOOOOOO**

After an uneasy night of sleep, Vince and Joe were having breakfast in the crew room and discussing the events of the previous night. "Do you think that those killer rabbits are now loose on Fang Rock?" Vince asked Joe.

"I have no idea." Joe replied after a few seconds. "However, there are many places a rabbit could hide among the rocks. I suppose anything is possible."

"Yeah, I guess it is." Vince said slowly.

"Hey, listen." Joe said suddenly. Both men listened as the sound of an engine was approaching the island. "Seems we have company coming. Let's go see who it is."

 **OOOOOOOO**

There was a tiny shingle beach on the northern end of Fang Rock, not far from the lighthouse, and this was where Vince and Joe kept their boat moored to a small dock. The boat at this time was up out of the water. It had been damaged in a storm, a few days back, and Joe had not yet fixed it. It was on the small dock that Vince and Joe now stood and watched as the small boat they had heard from the lighthouse got closer and closer. Once the boat had pulled up alongside the dock, one of the men inside threw Vince a rope which he immediately secured to the dock. "Welcome to Fang Rock." Joe told the visitors.

"Yes, very good." one of the four men replied. "I'm William Smith. These gentlemen with me are scientists." Introductions were quickly made.

"Let's go up to the lighthouse." Vince said as they left the dock. "We can...Look out!" he screamed as the rabbits suddenly swarmed out of the rocks.

"What?" Harry called. "Are these...Oh God no..Arrrggghh!" Harry screamed as the rabbits pulled him down and began eating him on the spot.

"We've got to save him!" yelled Andy.

"Forget it. He's already dead!" Jack screamed.

"Run for the lighthouse!" Vince yelled. The five men sprinted for the safety of the lighthouse.

 **OOOOOOOO**

The crew room door flew open as the five of them blundered in. "Well this is a setback." Smith grumbled.

"A setback?" asked Andy with amazement. "A setback? Those rabbits just killed a friend of mine."

"Risks are to be expected in this line of work."

"Perhaps." Jack said, coming to Andy's defense. "However, not these kinds of risks."

"Right." Vince piped up. "The first thing to do is get a message to the mainland. Perhaps they can send help." He started towards the Morse Telegraph Machine.

"No!" Smith shouted. "We can't do that."

"Why the hell not?" Joe asked with anger creeping into his voice.

"If you send for help, the Prime Minister may find out about my continuation of the rabbit project. My career would be over."

"Now isn't that a shame." Joe said with sarcasm. "Vince, send the message."

"No!" Smith shouted again and before anybody could stop him, he pulled out a gun and fired a bullet into the Morse Telegraph Machine. "No messages."

"You bloody fool." Jack said slowly. "Look what you've done."

"It was necessary." Smith said, defending his actions.

"Necessary?" Vince growled. "You've completely cut us off from the mainland. Are you that desperate to protect your secrets?"

"Yes I am." Smith said as he swung around to cover the rest of them with his gun. "I'm afraid I can't let any of you live to tell what you have seen here."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Andy asked with amazement.

"Like I said before, this job is full of risks." replied Smith. "I'm afraid you and Jack have just become expendable." As Smith said this, Vince began to slowly inch towards the wall.

"So what happens now?" asked Joe, drawing Smith's attention away from Vince.

"Simple." Smith said, smiling. "I kill you all, take my documents, and be on my way. No one will ever know what happened here."

"What about the rabbits that are already loose on this island?" asked Jack.

"In time they will starve to death."

"How are you going to get over to the boat?" asked Andy. "Those rabbits will pounce on you the moment you leave this lighthouse."

"I'll find a way." Smith replied just before Vince, who had managed to sneak his way behind Smith, tackled him. The two of them crashed to the ground. Smith had time to register he had been outflanked when Joe's fist smacked into his face. The world went black.

"Well that takes care of him." Vince said as he got to his feet.

"Let's tie him up into the armchair." Joe suggested. "Then after that we can discuss ways to beat these killer rabbits."

 **OOOOOOOO**

It took the whole day and well into the evening as Jack and Andy filled Vince and Joe in about Project Bunny Hop. "So let me get this straight." Vince said as he indicated Smith, who was tied securely to the armchair and keeping very quiet. "Our friend here decided to continue Project Bunny Hop, even through the Prime Minster had ordered it shut down when the war ended in 1918?"

"That's right." Jack said with gloom in his voice.

"Why the hell did you two go along with it?" Joe asked.

"The money was good." replied Andy. It was the best defense he could come up with.

"Well that doesn't matter now." Vince said. "What we have to do is get off this island and make sure Smith pays for what he had done."

"I guess Jack and I will be in trouble as well." Andy said. "Yet, I'm willing to face the consequences."

"I should have known you were a weak fool." Smith growled from the armchair. "I should never have hired you for this."

"Right." Andy shot back. "Maybe you shouldn't have."

"How about the Morse Telegraph Machine?" Jack asked. "Any chance of fixing it."

"No chance." replied Joe. "Those bullets did too much damage. I'm afraid we're on our own here."

"Look, you lot don't understand." Smith said. "I did this for Britain."

"The war's been over for three years, Smith, or perhaps you didn't notice." Joe said.

"Do you honestly think that Britain is safe now?" Smith asked with a sneer. "Germany is weak and unstable, there is still trouble in Ireland, and what about that Bolshevik lot in Russia? The war left the world a worse place, not a better one."

"Still, you were ordered to shut the project down, Smith." Joe replied. "It was not your place to disobey that order."

"Bah!" Smith said and fell silent.

"Well it's getting late." Vince said as he rose from the table. "I have to go man the lamp room now."

"It's okay, Vince." Joe said. "Off you go. We'll call you if anything happens."

"Right you are." Vince said and then headed out of the room.

"How about something to eat?" Joe said as he got up and headed into the tiny kitchen that was connected to the crew room.

"Sure." Jack replied and Andy nodded his head.

"What about me?" Smith asked.

"You can bloody well starve for all I care." Joe replied coldly.

 **OOOOOOOO**

Vince watched with satisfaction as he turned on the light. Despite all that was happening, the lighthouse still had a function to perform. After the light was on, Vince wandered over to the windows and peered out at the darkness. He could just make out the crashed yacht that had brought the killer rabbits to the island. "I wonder if this island is cursed after all." he muttered to himself. Vince knew that the Fang Rock lighthouse had a sinister reputation from its earliest days. In 1834, two of the men who were manning the lighthouse, died under mysterious circumstances. The third went mad with fear. Despite a formal inquiry into the event, a true answer to the mystery had never been presented. Stories began to circulate about a great glowing beast that came out of the sea, the Beast of Fang Rock. By the arrival of the twentieth century, those stories were mostly being cast aside. Now in the early 1920's, the stories of the Beast had largely been forgotten, except for the small villages that lined the English coast, like the one Vince had been born in. He remembered how his father used to tell the stories. Every night, his father would tell the young Vince and his two brothers, stories of the Beast of Fang Rock. As he got older, Vince never really lost his wonderment of those stories. Joe, on the other hand, who had been born in London, had never believed a word of the stories. He and Vince had spent many a night over the dinner table, arguing about the matter. Now it seemed that Fang Rock was faced with a new threat. A threat even deadly then that of the legendary Beast.

 **OOOOOOOO**

"Thanks for the food." Andy, finishing the last of his meal, told Joe. "You wouldn't happen to have a cigarette around here, would you?"

"Sorry." Joe replied. "Both Vince and I are non-smokers."

"Damn." Andy growled. "I could really use a smoke."

"Why don't we go and see how Vince is coming along." Joe said as he guided the two of them out of the crew room.

"Go to hell, the lot of you!" Smith yelled after the departing trio. Now that he was alone, Smith continued to work on the bonds holding him to the chair. He grunted with satisfaction as he managed to free one hand. Quickly he freed his other hand and then began to work on his feet. One he was loose, Smith stood up and scanned the walls around him. He smiled as he spotted a large fishing knife hanging by the door. Since they had taken his gun from him, Smith needed a good weapon in order to do his task. He would sneak up behind them, kill them all, come back here, take the documents, and be on his merry way back to London before anybody knew what happened here.

 **OOOOOOOO**

Vince, Joe, Jack, and Andy stood on the balcony, outside the lamp room, peering down onto the rocks below. The full moon was out tonight, so they could see the killer rabbits poking around the base of the lighthouse. "They sure don't give up easily." Vince commented.

"That's their whole purpose." Jack said. "They never give up."

"Well maybe there is a way to defeat them." Joe said with conviction in his voice.

"I hope so." Jack said as he turned to Joe. "I think that...Look out!"

"What?" Joe said as he turned to look behind himself. Just in time, Joe saw Smith coming at him with the knife raised high. Joe threw himself to the ground and watched as Smith, moving too fast, was hurled over the balcony railing by his own momentum. Smith screamed all the way down and his body made a horrible crunching noise as it struck the rocks below. "Well I guess that's the end of him." Joe said as he got to his feet.

"Look." Vince said as he peered over the railing. "The killer rabbits are all eating Smith's body."

"Good." Andy said with a wicked smile. "Maybe they'll all die of indigestion."

 **OOOOOOOO**

Some time later, the four men returned to the crew room and began going over ways to beat the rabbits. "Why don't we just try to leave?" Vince asked. "Surely if we move fast enough the rabbits won't get us."

"We can't take that risk." Jack jumped in. "Even if we get away, we can't just leave those rabbits here. As long as they're alive, they are a threat to everybody."

"Jack's right." added Andy. "Can you imagine what would happen if those rabbits ever got loose on the mainland. They could kill thousands of people."

"Well, whatever you all decide, let me know. I have to get back to the lamp room now." Vince said as he got up from the table.

"I go with you." Andy said suddenly.

"Sure." replied Vince and the two of them headed out.

"Andy's a good man." Jack said after a few minutes. "He went along with this rabbit project for the same reason I did, money." Jack shifted in his chair and then continued. "Because of the demands of the war, Oxford had cut back heavily on our research funds. When Smith came along with his offers of money, it was just too much to say no to."

"Yet, look where it has gotten you." Joe pointed out.

"Yeah." Jack replied. "I guess my career as a scientist is now finished." He looked around the crew room. "You and Vince got room enough for an extra hand here?"

 **OOOOOOOO**

"Have you and Joe known each other long?" Andy said after he and Vince had reached the lamp room.

"Yeah, we met during the war." Vince said as and told Andy the story of how he and Joe had met during that day in 1916. "We've been friends ever since. Even though, it does get lonely here for the two of us at times."

"How do you pass the time?"

"We have some games in the crew room, cards and such. We also have some books. One of my favourite books that we have here is one that tells about strange events that have happened at lighthouses throughout the centuries."

"Really?" asked Andy.

"Yeah." Vince confirmed. "Probably the most famous case the books deals with is the mystery of the Eilean Mor lighthouse in the Flannen Islands. In the year 1900, the three keepers manning the lighthouse vanished without a trace."

"Spooky."

"Also you should know that Fang Rock has an entry in the book as well."

"It does?" Andy asked as he suppressed a shiver.

"Yes. In 1834, people noticed that the lighthouse was not being lit at night. They sent a boat out to investigate. They found the body of the first keeper cold and dead right here in the lamp room. The second keeper was found floating in the sea. The third man was alive, but was completely insane. He never recovered."

"So they never found out what happened here?"

"No." Vince said. "That's how the stories of the Beast of Fang Rock got started."

"The Beast of Fang Rock?"

"According to the legends, it's a great glowing beast the supposedly haunts these rocks." Vince said. "Yet, I've never seen it."

"Do you believe in it?" Andy asked with curiosity.

"That's a good question." replied Vince. "To be honest I'm not really sure."

 **OOOOOOOO**

"Well and that's basically how we run the lighthouse." Joe finished telling Jack as they both sat in the crew room. Joe then got up, went over to a nearby desk, took the lighthouse log book out of a drawer, and came back to the table.

"Making the latest entry?" Jack asked.

"Yes, although I'm damned if I know what I'm going to say about this.." Joe replied as he opened the log book and began writing. He had completed one paragraph and was about to write another when Vince and Andy burst into the room. "What the hell is going on?" Joe asked.

"Andy just had an idea." replied Vince. "A good one."

"I just remembered the cargo list of the yacht that was bringing the killer rabbits to England." Andy said with excitement in his voice. "The yacht was also carrying some new poisons. Poisons that were still on the experimental list. Hopefully the containers that the poison were in are still intact."

"Great idea." Jack said. "However, there is just one little snag. Just how are you going to get over to that yacht? Those rabbits will be all over you once you leave this lighthouse."

"I don't know." Andy said after a moment. He turned to Joe. "Do you still have Smith's gun?"

"Yes, I have." Joe said as he pulled the weapon from his back pocket. "There are only three bullets left in it."

"It'll have to do." Andy said slowly. "I'll take the gun and go get the poisons."

"I'll go with you." Joe said sternly. "Vince and Jack can hold down the fort here until we get back."

"Now just a moment here..." Vince began hotly.

"There's no time for argument!" Joe snapped.

"I had more of a direct role in creating the rabbits than Jack did." Andy added. "I must try to make amends any way I can."

"I hope you know what you're doing." Jack said with a grim look on his face. "Because I sure don't."

"Me too, Jack." Andy replied. "Me too."

 **OOOOOOOO**

Their plan decided, the four men gathered together down in the boiler room for one last discussion. "Are you sure I can't talk you out of this?" Vince asked Joe.

"No you can't." replied Joe as he and Andy took up positions at the door. "Now when I give the word, you open this door and close as soon as Andy and I are clear. After that you don't open it again until we give the word. If we make it that is." He turned to Andy. "You ready?"

"Ready."

"Now." Joe said and Vince yanked the door open. Joe and Andy bolted out and Vince closed the door behind them.

"Well what now?" Vince then asked.

"We wait." Jack replied.

 **OOOOOOOO**

Joe and Andy made their way very slowly over the rocks. Once or twice, Joe thought he saw something moving in the darkness, but by the time he had drawn the gun, the movement had stopped. "I don't like this." Joe whispered to Andy. "It's too quiet."

"I don't like it either." Andy replied. "However, we're committed now. There's the yacht." He pointed as they approached the crashed yacht.

"Here we go." Joe said as they boarded the yacht. The two men winced as they saw the mangled bodies. "Here's the crate the rabbits were in." Joe said as he showed Andy the crate with the hole chewed through the back end. "Where are these poisons you mentioned?" Joe didn't want to stay here too long.

"The poison is over here." Andy said as he led Joe to the back of the cargo area where a bunch of plastic bottles were scattered all over the floor. "Just like I thought, they didn't break." He picked up a large square plastic box and handed it to Joe. "Specimen container." Andy said. "We can use it to carry the stuff we need back to the lighthouse." He began picking up the bottles and placing them in the specimen container. After that was done, Andy rooted around and found some hypodermic needles and placed them in with the bottles and then closed the container up. "That should be it then." He said and then noticed a small section of the floor seemed to be loose. "Here." he said as he handed the container to Joe. "Get this back to the lighthouse."

"What about you?" Joe asked with concern.

"I'll catch up with you in a minute."

"The rabbits could show up any time now."

"I know that." Andy said. "Yet, there may be something else here that we can use to fight the rabbits. I need to see what it is, but I also need you to get back to the lighthouse just in case this turns out to be nothing."

"Okay." Joe said as stood in the door of the yacht. "Hurry up."

"I will." Andy said slowly. He watched as Joe headed out of the yacht and when Andy was sure that Joe was well clear, he turned his attention back to the loose section of floor. "Now let's see if this is what I think it is." Andy said to himself as he lifted the section of floor up. "I was right." He said with triumph. Below the loose section of floor were a bunch of hand grenades, no doubt left over from the war.. Quickly, Andy began gather them up. He was about to leave when he heard a noise behind him. He turned and saw killer rabbits pouring into the yacht and advancing on him. Andy knew that he had no chance to escape now. "I hope you bunnies like your meals well done." Andy said as he picked up a grenade and pulled the pin.

 **OOOOOOOO**

Joe was halfway back to the lighthouse, when the yacht exploded behind him. He quickly turned around. When he saw the burning remains of the yacht, Joe knew that Andy wasn't coming back. Then he saw killer rabbits advancing on him from the rocks. Joe quickly turned and headed on to the lighthouse.

 **OOOOOOOO**

"That sounded like an explosion." Vince said to Jack as the two of them waited in the boiler room. "I wonder what..." He broke off as a pounding started on the door. Vince went over and opened it and watched as Joe, the specimen container in his hands, burst into the lighthouse.

"Shut that door! There are killer rabbits right behind me." Joe shouted. Vince quickly obeyed.

"Wait a second." Jack said. "Where's Andy? What happened to him?"

"He stayed on the yacht for some reason." Joe said quickly. "He told me to get this back here." He held up the container. "I was halfway back here when the yacht blew up. I don't know why that happened." Joe looked at Jack. "I'm sorry. I know he was a friend of yours."

"Yeah, he was." Jack said as he took the container from Joe. "The best thing we can do for him now is find a way to kill these rabbits once and for all."

"If this stuff works." Vince said as he pointed to the container in Jack's hands.

 **OOOOOOOO**

A short while later, the three men had gathered in the crew room. "I'm not sure if this stuff will work." Jack said as he pointed to the bottles of poison on the table. "Yet, it's our best shot."

"How are we going to get the rabbits to take it." Vince said sceptically. "I doubt they'll let us get close enough to inject them."

"That's the good part." Jack said with a wicked smile on his face. "You have any meat products here."

"Plenty." Joe replied.

"Well cook them up. We have a dinner to prepare for those rabbits."

"Right." Joe said and then turned to Vince. "Go to the lamp room balcony and see if you can monitor those rabbits. When we give them the meat, I want to know just where they are."

"Right you are." Vince said and headed out of the crew room.

"Okay let's get the meat out." Joe said and led Jack into the kitchen.

 **OOOOOOOO**

Standing out on the balcony, Vince peered down and saw that the rabbits had once again gathered around the lighthouse. "Don't worry." Vince said in a mocking tone down to the rabbits. "You'll be getting a meal soon enough." He walked around the balcony until he was facing south. The fire had died down by now and all that was left of the yacht was a charred hulk. Although Vince had known Andy only for a very short time, he felt somewhat saddened at Andy's death. All they could do now was hope that his sacrifice was not in vain.

"Meat's done." Joe said.

"Place it on the table." Jack instructed. "I'll start the injections."

"I hope this works." Joe said as he placed the meat on the table. He watched as Jack plunged a hypodermic into the top of one of the bottles, withdrew some poison into the needled and injected the first piece of meat. "You sure that's enough poison?" Joe asked.

"No." replied Jack. "As I said, I'm not even sure this stuff will work at all." He reached for another slice of meat and began the process all over again.

 **OOOOOOOO**

"It'll be dawn soon." Vince said as he was still out on the balcony. Then he heard a noise behind him and turned. Joe and Jack, their arms full of fresh meat, were coming out onto the balcony. "Is that the main course?" Vince asked.

"It sure is." Joe replied as he and Jack began heaving the meat over the railing.

"Come and get it!" Vince shouted down to the rabbits. Seeing Jack and Joe now staring at him, Vince shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist."

 **OOOOOOOO**

The killer rabbits had been sniffing around the base of the lighthouse for some time now. They knew that there was prey inside and they were going crazy with hunger just trying to get through the main door. Suddenly, chucks of meat began plunking down all around the rabbits like gifts from the gods. Quickly the rabbits swarmed over and gobbled down all the meat, leaving nothing but a few bones behind. The meat only increased their feeding frenzy and like a pack of sharks, they attacked the main lighthouse door. Slowly, but surely, the rabbits began to chew through the wood.

 **OOOOOOOO**

"It's not working." Jack said as he stared down from the balcony. "The poison didn't work."

"It's not only that." Vince said as he too looked down at the rabbits. "Those bunnies are chewing through the main door. They are going to get into the lighthouse."

"Well it's war then." Joe said sternly. He turned to Vince and Jack. "Let's go to the store room. It's just below the lamp room." he added for Jack's benefit.

"Why?" asked Jack.

"Because it's full of stuff we can use. Maroons, rockets, flare pistols. I'm damned if I'm going to let those rabbits get me without a fight."

"I'm with you, Joe." Vince said sternly. "We fought in one war together, looks like we're about to fight in another."

"I'm in as well." Jack said, completing their alliance.

"Let's move." Joe said as he led them back into the lamp room. "I doubt that we have much time."

 **OOOOOOOO**

The boiler room was quiet and still. The only sound that could be heard was a strange chewing noise coming from the main door. Slowly the noise got gradually louder.

 **OOOOOOOO**

"Here take this." Joe said as he handed a flare pistol and a package of flares to Vince. The three of them were in the store room, gathering their weapons. Joe picked up some rockets and handed them to Jack. "Get this stuff to the lamp room. Since it's the easiest place in the lighthouse to defend, we'll make our stand there."

"Better take this as well." Jack said as he grabbed a fire extinguisher that was hooked on the wall, by the door.

"Good call." Joe said as he grabbed a bunch of maroons. "Let's get back to the lamp room." Quickly the three men headed out of the storm room and in a few seconds were back in the lamp room.

"Well what do we do now?" Jack asked.

"We break open these rockets and maroons and scatter the powder on the stairs leading up here to the lamp room. Once the rabbits step on the powder, we ignite it and before you can say 'rabbit stew', we'll have toasted bunnies."

"Is that wise?" Jack asked with caution. "Igniting a fire in such a small place."

"You got a better idea?" Joe asked.

"No, I don't, really."

"Well, let's get to work then." Joe said. The three of them broke open the rockets and soon were spreading the powder on the stairs below the lamp room. "I know this will cause some damage." Joe muttered to himself. "However, they can send us a bill later, if there is a later for us."

 **OOOOOOOO**

In the boiler room, the chewing sound at the door had reached a high level. Soon the it came to a head as part of the door finally gave way and toppled to the floor. The killer rabbits swarmed into the lighthouse and started up the stairs.

 **OOOOOOOO**

"I hear them." Vince said as he stood at the top of the stairs. "The rabbits are coming."

"Good." Joe said. He turned to Jack. "You have some matches on you?"

"Right here." Jack said as he produced a pack of matches from his pockets.

"Very good." Joe said as he took the matches and positioned himself and the top of the stairs. "You two had better get down." He said to Vince and Jack and watched as they quickly obeyed. He turned back to the stairs. "Come on now." He called mockingly to the rabbits. Slowly, but surely, the rabbits advanced up the stairs and soon appeared around the corner. Seeing Joe, they quickly surged forward. Waiting until the last possible second, Joe lit a match and tossed into the midst of the rabbits, once they had reached the powdered area of the floor. Throwing himself to the ground, Joe heard the whoosh of the powder igniting and the dying shrieks of some surprised rabbits. "Right. Get that fire out."

"No problem." Vince said as he took the fire extinguisher and quickly smothered the flames. The whole area was covered in the remains of cooked rabbits.

"I don't think we got all of them." Joe said. "Let's go see." Carrying the flare pistol and some extra flares, Joe led them slowly down the stairs. Jack carried one of the maroons and Vince still held on to the fire extinguisher. They had gotten almost down to the level of the bathroom when they came across the rabbits. "Let them have it!" Joe screamed and fired off a flare into the nearest rabbit. The rabbit shrieked as it caught on fire.

"Bombs away!" Jack shouted as he lit the maroon and tossed it into the midst of the rabbits. The three men threw themselves down as a small explosion ripped through the stairway. Vince quickly sprang into action, spraying the fire extinguisher and putting out the flames. They saw even more rabbits lying dead or dying. The rest had disappeared.

"They must have retreated farther down." Vince said as he held the extinguisher up like a weapon.

"Then we go after them." Joe said.

"After we get more weapons." Jack added and headed back up to the lamp room. Soon he returned with another two maroons, one of which he gave to Vince.

"Let's go." Joe said and the three of them advanced down the stairs. Encountering a group of rabbits near the crew room, Joe quickly disposed of them with the last three bullets from Smith's gun.

"Let's see if any rabbits are in the crew room." Vince suggested. A quick sweep showed that the crew room was rabbit free. "They must have headed back down into the boiler room."

"Then we follow." Joe said and led the way down. As soon as they reached the boiler room, the three men saw that it was empty. "They've gone back outside." Joe said as he pointed to the yawning gap where the main door used to be.

"Let's go then." Vince said, holding his maroon up high. As soon as he got to the door, he looked out and saw a group of rabbits milling about nearby. "Hand me one of those matches." He said to Jack. As soon as he got the match, Vince lit his maroon and tossed it outside right into the rabbits. Once again the three men took cover as an explosion took place. When they looked outside, they were greeted with an amazing sight. Bodies of killer rabbits were spread all over the island. "How?" a confused Vince asked. "Surely the explosion couldn't have killed all of them."

"It didn't." Jack said as he took in the sight. "It was the poison. It must have had a delayed reaction time. Our little war gave us the time we needed for the poison to take effect."

"It's over then." Joe said as he looked around. "We've won."

 **OOOOOOOO**

It was early morning when Vince threw the last of the dead rabbits on to the bonfire they had built near the remains of the yacht. "Are you sure that is the last of them?" Vince asked.

"Yes." Joe said. "We searched the island thoroughly. There were a few rabbits that the poison hadn't killed yet, but we took care of them quick enough." He looked at the bonfire which was burning brightly. "Soon they'll be nothing but ashes."

"Except this one." Jack said as he held up one of the dead rabbits. Quickly he placed in the specimen container that they had salvaged from the yacht. "I'm taking this back with me. Proof positive that these experiments are dangerous."

 **OOOOOOOO**

Some time later, Vince and Joe were getting ready to say good-bye to Jack. "Have you got all those documents?" Joe asked as he watched Jack get into the motor boat.

"Every last one." replied Jack. "Once I show them these documents and this dead rabbit." he said, holding up the specimen container. "Once I show them all this, these experiments will end once and for all."

"Good." Vince said. "I sure wouldn't want to go through another night like this one."

"Neither would I." Jack said as he sat down in the motor boat. Of the four men who came to Fang Rock in the boat, he was the only survivor. "Well I suppose I better be going. Bye fellows."

"Bye Jack." Vince and Joe said together. They watched as Jack started the motor boat and pulled away from Fang Rock. Soon the boat and its sole occupant were well on the way back to the mainland.

 **OOOOOOOO**

A few weeks later, Vince and Joe were in the crew room, reading a letter that Jack had sent them. "Well it looks as if Jack was true to his word."

"He sure was." Joe replied as he read the letter. The British Government had alerted the Australian Government and soon the secret lab, where the killer rabbits had been created, was shut down for good. All the mutated rabbits that were still there had been destroyed. All of Smith's remaining confederates in Britain and Australia had been arrested. In the end, however, the Government had decided to classify the whole affair as an official secret, which meant that Vince, Joe, and Jack could not mention this incident to anyone. Vince and Joe had been soldiers once, serving their country, and they would serve it now in staying silent, even if they didn't agree with it.

"Well some goods things came out of this for us." Vince said. "At least we used all the compensation the Government gave us for our silence to get a new Morse Telegraph Machine."

"Not to mention getting all the damage our little battle created, repaired." Joe added. "Soon I think life will return to normal here on Fang Rock."

"Right." Vince replied. "Unless the Beast decides to pay us a visit. You never know."

"Good grief." Joe said, rolling his eyes. "You're not going to start that again. Are you?"

"Start what?" Vince asked innocently.

"That...Oh never mind." Joe said, rolling his eyes as Vince laughed.

 **THE END**


End file.
